Shallow
by Enhance The Rain
Summary: One can only turn shallow after losing everything. And, with the Fates determined to keep the two apart, the new Technology can only lead to hazy Pictures, distant owners and shattered hearts...  Buzz/Jessie
1. Chapter 1

Shallow

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Toy Story.

A/N Okay, so this is an idea which popped into my 'discreetly' slanted mind yesterday afternoon and I thought I'd give it a shot. If it turns out decent then that'd be great, but if it doesn't then…well, I still hope you will all enjoy it!

Plot Summary: One can only turn shallow after losing everything. And, with the Fates deteremined to keep the two apart, the new Technology can only lead to hazy Pictures, distant owners and shattered hearts... A/N

_What was there left to face after the dark?_

_The fragile rag doll asked herself this as she threw her weight over the final crevice, burrowed deeply within the rocky material, of the obstructive wall which was now below her weak form, gasping, choking and clambering forward as the natural burden, encrypted thoroughly within the silk of the Earth's atmosphere, began to execute its effect to the utmost precision - one effect which could possibly drive her mind over the edge if it drew itself close enough to her form and, this, went without question_

_As her hands met the ragged surface of the standing, she couldn't help but wince in pain as the heat of the flames (located no more than twenty yards away from where she was currently sprawled) began to intensify, wrapping her body in a blanket of heat which had been sourced from the scalded material of an unwelcome brander. And, as tried to lift herself to her knees (trying to ignore the blazing heat which she could feel from even here), her eyes only came across the darkness; bringing yet another question into the focus of her metaphorical mind. Was there anything after the darkness which she, in no way, was able to avoid? Or was this it? And, ultimately (if there was anything), was it worth fighting for?_

_With the stony surface of the floor below her grazing and scratching her body mercilessly, threatening to tear the fabric of the body in the way a knife would tear through its target, suddenly too weak to even bear the fight of rising to her feet, her breath caught in her throat as she opened her eyes to the Deathly surroundings around her. In truth, she was no where near the burden of Death, but she could feel the malevolent purity of the force radiating through the cloggy atmosphere and across her cheeks, draping across her plastic like the fine nectar of Satan as she forced back a cry. It was of no direct threat to her - it couldn't physically damage her form in any way - but the mere thought of the damage it could cause if she lost the battle was enough to unnerve her senses completely as the wall before her flashed a shade lost between crimson and burnt-orange - a colour which reminded the rag doll of the Death which was bound to fall down upon her life in the way a pack of cards would begin to cave in above its firmly set target in the midst of mayhem._

_The simple sight, no matter how brief it may have been, had been enough to leave her flabbergasted for a few moments as she gaped at the far wall with an expression of pure shock etched finely across her features. The initial sensation was dawning, and she had been left wide-eyed as she tried to pull herself to her feet, only to end up falling backwards when the sight before her overwhelmed her common sense as she gaped at the reminisce of the fiery ferocity they could no longer avoid; the light reflecting from her emerald eyes as realization began to sink in._

_She could barely even remember how she had found herself in this position to begin with; it was all just foggy recollection she couldn't pull forth from the back of her mind really - so distant that it must have been unreal. But there was something about this which struck her like a major sense of 'Déjá Vu' striking someone in the middle of the night when there at their most vulnerable points; almost as though she had been through all of this before and she felt a smile loom across her face at this thought._

_It just seemed so ironic that she had just so happened to find herself in this position at this very moment; because she could have sworn that she had dreamt something of the sort before. But many, many years before hand though, which left everything her mind tried to recall as foggy - undistinguishable against the havoc around her as she heard the voice's yell over the piercing rage of the Deathly fires._

_"Jessie!" The voice called in desperation as the source neared the brief verge between Life and Death it could never avoid. "Just push the button!"_

_The very echo of this voice seemed to snap the vague rag doll away from her trance as she inhaled deeply, finally managing to lift herself to her feet as she dragged her way over to the scarlet high-lighted button, her legs feeling limp as she did so. It was no surprise actually that the thread hadn't unravelled themselves by this point, because she had been many years old by this point; and it had been clear, from the fading colouring upon her fabrics and her grazed hands, that she had been worn down over the years - so this was nothing she questioned as she then froze within her tracks._  
><em>She had been anticipating this moment ever since she had entered this section of the compound where the whole thing divided off into two sections; one where the refurnished souls passed, and the other where the scalding remains of what had once been mad themselves clear for display. But now that she was faced with the line which drew the very fine line between Life and Death, she began to face things from a very different perspective.<em>

_This all reminded her of a time she had faced many years before (whether it had been a dream or just a figuration of reality remained a complete mystery to her) where she had faced something similar to this situation. She couldn't remember what had happened actually, but she could still image the picture of the raging fires within her mind and this must have been what she was confusing the situation around her with now because, truth was, there was no fire - just one red light which possessed the inner will to haunt the old antique at any moment if it so pleased. She could remember the fire from the dream (or whatever it had been) for sure, but there were also a few other details she could draw out from the muddle, referred to as the back of her mind, which she had been able to decipher. Her friends had been there as well - most of them she had lost many, many years before due to circumstances which were out of her control - but not a small selection of the lot had made it to where she was now. They had all lived better lives from the point of the separation; and she envied this slightly. Nevertheless, she held nothing against them as she gaped at the button with a heavy sense of curiosity etched throughout her plaque-like eyes._

_Where would this lead them? She couldn't help but ask herself this as she felt herself sink to the floor in a trance like manner. Would it lead them to a better life? And, ultimately, was there any point in patching up the line? Would this lead to anything better? Or was this as good as it would get for all of them? She wondered this as she knelt, centimetres before the button which could possibly save the lives of dozens of toys like herself. What would lie for them after this? Surely it wouldn't be anything pleasant; especially given the fact that she must have been at least a century old by this point (she honestly couldn't remember) and she felt a thick mask of dread overwhelm her mind as she dropped her gaze from the button to the ground below. This was as good as it would ever get. No more owners were going to drift in front of their paths - one of the reasons why she was even standing where she was to begin with - and, with no owners, they would become worthless. They couldn't run forever; she had learned this soon enough. But following your beliefs was far more complex than simply believing something was true, which was something else she knew._

_Feeling a sense of despair crash into her system like a plate of ice, she felt her metaphorical hart freeze within its tracks as the sorrow began to turn into anger - one of which she could never avoid no matter the circumstance._

_"Jessie, push it!" She heard the voice call, but the owner of this voice was easy to ignore as she stood from her position; a malicious smile inching across her face as she froze in her place for those few moments - the Vital Moments no one could afford to miss. Knowing that she was about to end up in exactly the same position, she chuckled to herself crookedly._

_"Nighty-Night Partner." She uttered simply, empathising each word to the necessary extent as she tipped her hat in the direction of the voice; the on-settings of terror flooding her vision as the heat became unbearable._

_What was there left to face after the dark?_

_Jessie the Yodellin' Cowgirl asked herself this as she braced herself for the inevitable -_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_**"Look Life, I'm bleeding! But no-one can see the blood coursing down my skin; sentimentalising, toxic beauty locks me in place, but no one can hear me scream - Can you read me now? Can you hear me watch you fall apart? …."**_

**()()()()**_**  
><strong>_

_A silvery silence branded the area around the space ranger immoral, blinding the slivering lights of his luminous space suit into the faint speck of a spark against the looming darkness as every single hope he had ever had - most having been forced down his throat by the irrational theories his mind alone had created and brainwashed others simply to escape the unbearable pain of facing the indefinite inevitable - disintegrated into the ashes of the winds._

_With the inaudible murmurs of reality taking hold of everything in sight, absorbing the limelight in the darkness and lifting the darkness from the deceiving shadows and into plain-view, came a feeling unlike any other that had ever struck the dim-witted novelty merely standing at the stage of the windowsill. Watching all he loved slip right from his view as common instinct kept his artificial muscles frozen in place, his jaw quivering uncontrollably at the mere sight of such a catastrophe. The scarce remaining of life in such a desolated area of the world hid right in the light of the unforeseen, but this fact simply wasn't taken into account as he gaped through the dusty glass of the window and towards a sight he wished he could tear himself away from._

_How can the world be so bright when he felt so cold and dark inside? He asked himself this now as he pulled at the inner cords of his mind to shake his head out of its position. But all went to no avail as the crystal jewels began to form within the heap of his plastic stomach, jabbing his core until he bled internally. He just stood there, paralysed. Nothing he tried to do could control anything, as the entire situation just rolled out before his eyes, flattening all that lay before him in pessimism through the inaudible screams of the silent. When all hopes had been lost, this was what he wanted to do. He wanted to flee-he wanted to runaway from his fears as his world fell apart before his eyes._

_Diamonds may perch within him, ready to crack as soon as he hit the robust step in life. But nothing on this earth could have prepared the diamonds for what he saw now. His friends, his family - well - they were all being taken away from him. And he was standing there, helplessness etched upon his face as he gaped at the sight with distraught eyes. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for this; the day where the diamonds within him simply shatter, settling his senses ablaze in anguish that startled his nerves completely._

_His friends - his 'family' - were being taken away from him, but yet their owner hadn't laid a finger on the ranger that day. And yet she had been talking about dumping the toys off, every single one of them, at the local day care for weeks. By today's standards, old hand-me-down toys were far too old-fashioned for seventeen year old girls - or any individual of that age for that matter. Creativity had been overruled by logic and imagination had been obliterated from the innocent child's mind long before this day._

_Unconsciously, this sent the ranger's train of thought off course and he suddenly found all of his senses wandering aimlessly off into the distance. Maybe he should have noticed it approaching earlier than he had - earlier that they all had actually, but he didn't like to partially force a fair percentage of the blame on any of this friends though because something like that was hard to see when it was coming. Almost as though trying to dodge a punch when the opponent was so close to destroying everything that had lifted one's spirit up from the ashes and into the limelight where it truly belonged. It just couldn't be done, and he was the logical one of the group. He was the smartest of them all if he wasn't going to be modest, and yet he had been one of the last to see the inevitable approaching._

_If he could see correctly through the hazy blur of his corrupted memories, then he'd be able to figure that it had really been the love of his life to notice it all first. Partially due to the fact that she had been through it all more than the others had, and she was the most experienced one of the lot. Wiser than the rest given the years she had witnessed, even if most had been deprived of their flourishing innocence through the masking darkness of storage, and the strongest one internally when it came to battling with emotions and keeping Poker Face's straight. But her weaknesses made themselves far more apparent than others, and this was what had kept her unable to help herself when the anxiety struck her core._

_Second to see the inevitable approaching had been the group's leader, though even the Sheriff had been unable to make the ends meet in the end. As keeping the group calm when the rumours spread had proved to be both difficult and ultimately impossible, eventually leading his hopes over the edge when matters spiralled out of control. And he was to depart now as well, leaving only the space ranger behind to wander in the desolate field. He had tried though, and so had Jessie. They had tried and they could have put their all into it, but nothing would have prospered as the inevitable was met no matter the path one would take to avoid it._

_In the front, he could see Mrs Anderson at the yard sale stall and he could also identify the passer-bys observing the toys from a distance. He didn't know them for obvious reasons, and this told the ranger that they were not from this local area. This was the worst news he could have stumbled across when it all came down to the simple matters. Purely because they could live absolutely anywhere. What was to tell him that none of them were planning to move to a different country next week? This was also what the Space Ranger had asked himself as one of the individuals, a tall, fair-haired man in his forties, made his way to the stall out of pure interest._

_From where he had been stood, Buzz Lightyear had been able to spot the man survey all of the other toys individually, classifying most as garbage, before his attention was snatched by a feminine like rag doll with a high and wild personality._

_**- No! -** The space ranger mentally pleaded, only for his pleas to writhe forward unheard as his worst nightmares were brought to life -_

When a force greater than Fate drew the space ranger away from the deep state of sleep, Buzz Lightyear gasped slightly and shot up into a sitting position. His metaphorical heart was beating wildly as his senses readjusted to the new change in the atmosphere around him, feeling slightly bewildered.

No longer was he surrounded by the bright lights of the surging day, but he was instead mocked by the looming shadows lingering all throughout the area of the interior surroundings of the toy box around him. A simple change from dream to reality was often one overlooked, as it was far harder to adjust to the absolute burden of life when the dreams aligned them almost perfectly.

Feeling slightly groggy, Buzz blinked hard and examined his surroundings with cautious eyes. Surprisingly, he was one of the last to wake today, but yet no one had noticed his anxious behaviour prior to this moment. He decided to dismiss that particular dream for now, as it was one he had come across many times before. He didn't question the dreams either, for he knew exactly what the cause behind them was. What, with Bonnie growing older day by day and all. She'd be eighteen next week, and she was set to follow her natural ambitions to the very last root; which would very well include her leaving the household for at least half a decade or more before returning home a completely different person.

As she grew older, an inevitable concept had been drawn closer into the core of his mind and now they were all facing their last chance. As either the attic or the yard sale lay before the paths of most of the toys, and these were ones none of them wanted to meet.

Shaking his head, Buzz Lightyear demolished the provoking thoughts and scanned the area around him for any sign of the Sheriff, before spotting him in the corner talking over their roles in the plan with the cowgirl the ranger had come to love with all of his heart.

Sighing, Buzz groggily got up and made his way over to the western duo - with only one principle encrypted into the back of his mind.

If Buzz didn't make the plan _he_ invented work, then he could shatter the whole group apart within the matter of a few seconds.

A/N Sorry for taking ages to update this, but I had started and deleted ideas for the second chapter time and time again (too many to count), until I was struck with the idea for this. So I hope you're all happy with it. This one was only short, but the next few will be considerably longer. A/N


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